The healthcare job industry showed steady growth last year, with no signs of slowing down in 2016, according to Health eCareers' newly released 2015 Year Over Year Healthcare Jobs Snapshot.

New healthcare positions accounted for 18 percent of the 2.7 million jobs added to the U.S. economy in 2015, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Healthcare employment expanded by 475,000 in 2015, compared with a gain of 309,000 in 2014, an increase of 54 percent. Hospital hiring was particularly robust, growing by 172,000 positions and accounting for 36 percent of total healthcare jobs created.

With experts predicting further increases in the number of Americans enrolling in health insurance coverage in 2016, providers ranging from small practices and clinics to large healthcare systems anticipate adding jobs in order to meet the growing needs of patients and the increased demand for healthcare services.

Report Highlights:

• Opportunities increased for physicians/surgeons (up 15 percent), physician assistants (up 17 percent) and nurse practitioners (up 7 percent), as indicated by the number of jobs posted on Health eCareers in 2015 when compared to the previous year.

• The top 10 states for healthcare jobs in 2015 as illustrated by Health eCareers employer job postings were, in descending order, Texas, California, Pennsylvania, Florida, New York, Washington, Illinois, Virginia, Georgia and Ohio.

• Physicians/surgeons and nurses remained the top areas of recruitment, followed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants.